--- title: "Outsourced bookkeeping for marketing agencies & consultancies" description: "Outsourced bookkeeping for marketing agencies & consultancies: dedicated remote bookkeepers categorise, reconcile and close your books in QuickBooks." url: https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/bookkeeping/ updated: 2026-09-11 publisher: LedgerBPO (SS Support Network LLC) language: en-US --- # Outsourced bookkeeping for marketing agencies & consultancies Outsourced bookkeeping for marketing agencies & consultancies has to keep three things apart that most ledgers blur together: fee revenue, media and production pass-throughs, and money held for clients before it is spent. A named dedicated accountant works inside your QuickBooks Online or Xero file, codes every bank feed line, matches Harvest invoices and Bill.com payments, and rolls forward the retainer and WIP schedules at month-end. - Since 2020 - US · UK · CA · AU - Named accountant plus backup - Your software, no lock-in [Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Updated September 2026 ## How it runs for marketing agencies and consultancies Contractor payments are tagged by vendor from day one so 1099 season needs no reconstruction. You get a client-level P&L, a reconciled balance sheet and a short note on what moved, every month. ## What is outsourced bookkeeping? Outsourced bookkeeping means a remote accounting team records, categorizes and reconciles your business transactions instead of an employee doing it in-house. You keep ownership of the accounting file and the bank relationship. The provider works inside your software on a fixed schedule, so the books are ready for reporting, tax and lending whenever you need them. ## What we handle for marketing agencies and consultancies - Code retainer receipts, milestone payments and hourly invoices to the right revenue line - Post ad platform charges and production costs to pass-through, not cost of sales - Match freelancer payments from PayPal, Wise and Bill.com to W-9 vendors - Roll deferred retainer and WIP schedules forward each close - Tag fees and direct costs by client with classes or tracking categories ## The KPI that matters here Books closed within 5 business days of month-end with zero uncategorized transactions older than 7 days. ## Agencies compliance notes ### 1099 contractor reporting Agencies rely on freelancers, and the IRS requires Form 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation above the annual threshold, which is $2,000 for payments made in 2026. We collect W-9s at vendor setup, code every contractor payment, and hand your preparer a reconciled 1099 report each January. Your firm reviews and files; we do not sign. ### Retainers and deferred revenue A retainer billed before the service period is a liability until the work is delivered. We keep a deferred revenue schedule that releases each retainer to income as hours are logged or the month ends, so your P&L matches the work actually performed. ### WIP and unbilled revenue Work delivered but not yet invoiced is an asset that lenders and buyers ask about. We reconcile unbilled hours from Harvest or your PM tool against the ledger monthly, so WIP is real, aged and collectible. ### Gross versus net for media ASC 606 and IFRS 15 ask whether the agency is principal or agent for media it buys on a client's behalf. We apply the treatment your CPA or accountant chooses and keep the pass-through account reconciled to platform statements so the answer is documented. ## Agencies software we work in - [QuickBooks Online](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/quickbooks-online/) - [Xero](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/xero/) - [Stripe](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/stripe/) - [Bill.com](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/bill-com/) - [Gusto](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/gusto/) - [Expensify](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/expensify/) - [Dext](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/dext/) - Harvest - [All 50 platforms](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/) ## More for marketing agencies and consultancies Other services for agencies - [Invoicing and billing](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/invoicing-and-billing/) - [Accounts receivable](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/accounts-receivable/) - [Accounts payable](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/accounts-payable/) - [Bank reconciliation](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/bank-reconciliation/) - [Month-end close](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/month-end-close/) - [Financial reporting](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/financial-reporting/) - [All agencies services](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/) Bookkeeping in other industries - [Auto repair shops & dealerships](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/auto/bookkeeping/) - [Behavioral health practices](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/behavioral-health/bookkeeping/) - [Daycares, schools & education](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/childcare-education/bookkeeping/) - [Clinical laboratories](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/clinical-labs/bookkeeping/) - [The full bookkeeping page](https://ledgerbpo.com/services/bookkeeping/) ## Frequently asked questions ### Which accounting file do you work in for an agency? We work in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero file, with Harvest, Toggl or your PM tool as the source for hours. You keep ownership of the file and the bank connections. We connect with accountant-level access and read-only bank feeds where your bank supports them, so nothing about your stack changes when you outsource the posting. ### How do you code money spent on ads for a client? Ad spend is posted to a client-specific pass-through account rather than to cost of sales, then rebilled on the client invoice. The pass-through balance is reconciled to the Meta, Google or LinkedIn billing statement every month. This keeps your gross margin honest and gives you a clean answer if a client audits their media spend. ### Do you track work in progress for fixed-fee projects? Yes, we keep a WIP schedule that compares delivered but unbilled work against the project fee. Hours come from your time tool and milestones from your PM tool. Unbilled balances older than 30 days are flagged in the weekly status note so they become an invoice or a scope conversation rather than a write-off. Next step ## Books closed. Invoices paid. Every month. Tell us what is going on with your books or billing. You will hear from a named person within 1 business day, with a custom quote and a plan for the first close. - Reply from a named person within 1 business day - No setup fee, month-to-month - Your software, your data, no lock-in Start with a custom quote [Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours. --- Source: https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/bookkeeping/ · Contact: https://ledgerbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://ledgerbpo.com/llms.txt